With the first half of the season over all our teams are on 50% except for the Tom Fuller Cup team who are the only team with a 100% record in their league. Boye Sodeke has scored more points than anyone else.

STEVENSON CUP

Sidcup’s season got off to a good start with a win in the Stevenson Cup against Beckenham. When the Beckenham team arrived we found that they had predicted our exact team and board order. We started well when Boye Sodeke’s opponent blundered a piece. Mohammad Imran Ali put his opponent’s position under pressure until he cracked. Tony Packham and James Wagstaff lost and then Greg Edwards found a fine finish to put us 3 - 2 up. Ian McAllan had blundered a pawn but simplified to a drawn ending, so we won the match 3.5 - 2.5.

Our second match against Petts Wood went less well. We lost quickly on top board and bottom board. However with Boye Sodeke winning and Tony Packham and James Wagstaff drawing all was not lost. Late on Ian McAllan’s opponent would have taken a draw, if Ian had offered it, but Ian played on and, playing badly, lost, so we lost 4 -2.

Our third match against Lewisham we lost 3.5 - 2.5. Boye Sodeke won again and Greg Edwards, Ian McAllan and Tony Packham drew.

Our final match before Christmas was against Gravesend and it turned out to be very close. Boye Sodeke blundered a piece and lost, having won his previous six games for us. Tony Packham levelled up the match after his opponent blundered the exchange. With James Wagstaff losing we seemed to be in trouble. We were worse in two other games and onlookers did not know what was going on on top board where both kings were open. Greg Edwards, who had blundered a pawn, defended a difficult ending successfully, drawing, and then Ian McAllan, who had been in time-trouble in a difficult position, managed to win his game, so all depended on the top board which was last to finish. It was very complicated and the Gravesend player got into time-trouble; Mohammad Imran Ali gained the upper hand and his win meant we won the match 3.5 - 2.5.

EN PASSANT CUP

In the En Passant Cup side’s first match of the season against Petts Wood our opponents unluckily defaulted one game because their player went to the wrong venue. Boye Sodeke outplayed his opponent from a level position and won, but David Gilbert lost a pawn and lost, and when Greg Edwards lost the match was level. Tony Packham then won a rook ending and Ian McAllan’s opponent went badly wrong, so we won the match 4 - 2.

In our second match against Dartford we lost 3.5 - 2.5. Boye Sodeke won, Lee Brockwell drew a game that he never looked like losing and Chris Pleas won his first game for the club, but the top three boards all lost.

HARVEY CUP

As a result of a postponement our Harvey Cup team played only one match before Christmas, against Petts Wood. After an hour Sidcup had no advantage in any game and were being pressed in several, but ten minutes later Boye Sodeke and Lee Brockwell had won when both their opponents blundered a rook away. The match took another turn when Jamie Fountain and Yvo Pokern lost and Dave Avery tried to win a dead-drawn game and lost it, but Chris Pleas saved the day when his opponent became the third Petts Wood player to blunder away a rook on the night. Black had won every single game, so the match was drawn 3 - 3.

TOM FULLER CUP

Our Tom Fuller Cup side achieved an excellent result in its match against Beckenham & Bromley 7 winning 3 - 1. Jamie Fountain, Howard Wilkins and Peter Houching all won.

In its second match the team beat Beckenham & Bromley 8 by 2.5 - 1.5. Chris Cheeseman and Peter Houching won and Howard Wilkins drew against a much stronger player.

Ian McAllan